While the children of Asgard were thinking about their future, about what they would do later, and about the paths they would take when they grew up and faced their destiny, their children, in contrast, were busy talking and playing among themselves, exchanging simple words and innocent laughter, completely unaware of the weight of the future awaiting them.
Odin's older daughters approached the place where the children were gathered, looking around cautiously, watching to see whether the youngsters needed help preparing the food or arranging the tasks assigned to them. Their steps were calm, and their gazes alert, as if they had been accustomed to bearing responsibility for a long time.
On their way, they saw Hades' daughter standing not far away, talking with one of her brothers. The sisters exchanged silent glances, then walked toward her slowly, speaking at the same time in a frightening tone filled with clear mockery:
"Is that you, you tender lamb?"
Hades' daughter quickly turned around, a spark of anger flaring in her eyes, and said in a tense but sharp tone:
"What did you just say about me?"
The three sisters looked at one another, then continued walking past Hades' daughter as if she did not exist. One of the three girls spoke mockingly:
"Did you hear that, sisters? I think I heard the sound of an angry bear."
One of her sisters replied as they continued walking without looking at Hades' daughter:
"Yes, sister, I think I heard a strange sound, but it's not the sound of a wild bear… I think it's the barking of Hades' pet dog."
The three sisters laughed at the same time, a loud, deliberate, sarcastic laugh. At that moment, Hades' daughter's anger completely ignited. She ran toward the three sisters who were talking about her and stood in their way, her eyes shooting sparks, and said in a dangerous tone:
"Do you want to face me, you cursed sisters?"
As soon as Hades' daughter said that, her sixth brother heard her, ran toward her quickly, and grabbed her arm tightly, saying anxiously:
"Have you gone mad, sister? What did you do?"
Before he could finish his words, the three sisters burst out shouting at the same time:
"What did you say, you bitch?"
Another spoke angrily:
"How dare you say that again?"
And another added:
"How dare you say that, you despicable bitch?"
The three girls would not have fallen silent if not for the intervention of Athena's daughter, who approached with steady steps and said in a firm voice:
"What is going on? What is happening here?"
The siblings gathered around the place, watching in silence and astonishment. Poseidon's children approached mockingly, and one of them said:
"What's going on here? Is there something worth this gathering?"
Before he could finish speaking, his sister grabbed his sleeve as she watched the strange, tense atmosphere and warned him in a low voice:
"Don't interfere, brother. I think something dangerous is happening."
Poseidon's son also sensed the strange atmosphere, so he fell silent and began observing, trying to understand what was going on.
At that moment, Odin's eldest son, who was slightly younger than the three sisters, approached. When he saw his sisters in that state, he shouted:
"What is happening here, my siblings? Who did this to you?"
When the three sisters saw their younger brother approach, they all pointed angrily at Hades' eldest daughter and said in one voice:
"She insulted us, brother. She called us cursed."
As soon as they said that, silence spread through the place, and all the children looked at Hades' eldest daughter in shock. She felt the accusing and astonished looks directed at her from all sides, so she raised her head and spoke in a loud voice mixed with anger and self-defense:
"They started provoking me first. They have no right to do that… they deserved it."
The tension remained hanging in the air, an unbearable weight, as eyes awaited what would happen after this first spark.
As soon as the children heard that, one of Odin's younger sons exploded in anger and shouted loudly:
"You have no right to speak to my sister like that!"
The moment he said that, all the children in the place erupted into shouting. Voices rose, words turned into chaos, then into a real fight, where anger mixed with accusations, and voices overlapped until it was no longer possible to distinguish who said what or who started it in the first place.
Athena was watching the scene from afar. As soon as she saw what was happening, her expression hardened and strict anger appeared on her face. She shouted in a sharp, powerful tone:
"Everyone stop immediately!"
The moment the children heard her voice, they stopped shouting and fighting at once, as if an unseen force had restrained their tongues and hands at the same time. A heavy silence filled the place, broken only by the children's rapid breathing.
Athena advanced from afar, taking a few small steps, but the distance she crossed was great, as if she were moving rather than walking. After a few moments, she reached the gathering place in a matter of seconds and stood among them, saying in a calm but firm voice:
"What is happening here?"
As soon as she said that, Odin and the rest appeared near her out of nowhere, as if they had been watching the scene from the beginning. Odin said in his deep voice:
"What is happening here, Athena?"
Athena looked at her siblings, then turned her gaze to the children and said:
"The children fought, my brothers, but it seems that it is more than just an ordinary quarrel."
Odin looked at the children with his strange gray eyes, a deep look as if it pierced beyond faces, and said:
"What happened here?"
Odin already knew what had happened and knew who caused it using his power, but he wanted to test the children, to see whether they would tell the truth or lie to present themselves as victims. So he ordered them to speak.
Then Hades' eldest daughter stepped forward, pointed at the three girls, looked at Odin, and said:
"They insulted me first, Ruler Odin, and I did nothing to them."
Odin turned his gaze to his three daughters and said:
"Did that happen?"
The three sisters spoke at the same time:
"No, Father, that did not happen. She insulted us and is now trying to put the blame on us, Ruler Odin."
The girls spoke with clear respect, for Odin was the ruler of the island, and they had to address him by his title before his name out of respect in front of everyone.
When Odin heard his daughters' words, he looked again at Hades' eldest daughter and said:
"You heard what they said. The girls say that you are lying. Do you have anything to prove that your words are true?"
Hades' eldest daughter did not speak for a while, but she clenched her fists tightly until her nails nearly dug into her palms. Then she finally said in a steady voice despite her anger:
"They are lying, Ruler. I was talking with one of my younger brothers, and they came from behind me and insulted me for no reason."
Odin looked at her for a moment, as if trying to read beyond her words, to know whether she was lying or not, as if he knew nothing about the matter and wanted to extract the truth from the mouths of the children standing before him.
After moments of silence, Odin sighed and said:
"Is there anyone who heard or saw what happened here, children?"
Odin's siblings looked at their brother with slight surprise. They knew that he could easily know what happened using his power, but they did not interrupt him or speak to him. They felt that he was deliberately doing this and pretending ignorance for a reason more important than a mere childish quarrel.